Commemorative biographical record of the counties of Sandusky and Ottawa, Ohio, containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens, Part 30

Author: J.H. Beers & Co
Publication date: 1896
Publisher: Chicago, J.H. Beers & co.
Number of Pages: 1040

USA > Ohio > Sandusky County > Commemorative biographical record of the counties of Sandusky and Ottawa, Ohio, containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens > Part 30
USA > Ohio > Ottawa County > Commemorative biographical record of the counties of Sandusky and Ottawa, Ohio, containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens > Part 30

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

P ETER J. BEIER, one of the wor- thy citizens that the Fatherland has furnished to Ohio, was born in Laembach, Kurferstanthum Hes- san, Germany, a son of Joseph and Cath- erine (Geable) Beier, natives of the same country. They had a family of eight children, as follows: (1) Fronie, the eld- est, was born in Germany, in 1831, and, is the wife of Michael Siferd, a farmer now living in Minnesota, by whom she has ten children. (2) Agnes is the wife of Miran Hoffman, and they have five children-Joseph, Annie, Frank, Clara, and Willie. (3) Maggie, born in 1833,

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died and was buried in Germany in 1871. (4) John Joseph married Catherine Kirch- gar, and they have eight children. (5) Annie is the wife of Conrad Busolt, a resi- dent of Fremont, Ohio, and their family numbers eight children. (6) Peter J. is the next younger. (7) Budenz married Nicholas Goodbellat, and resides in Ger- many; they have three children. (8) Westena is the wife of Albert Konney, and they have one child, Nellie, born in 1883.

In the land of his birth our subject was reared to manhood, and the days of his boyhood and youth were quietly passed. He came to the United States and to Sandusky county, Ohio, in 1866, has been a resident of Rice township since 1874, when he purchased forty acres of land, which was still in its primitive con- dition, being covered with a thick growth of trees. He cleared all this himself, plowed and planted it, and in course of time the once wild tract was transformed into rich and fertile fields. As his finan- cial resources increased he extended the boundaries of his farm until it now com- prises eighty acres. In 1890 he built a house at a cost of $1, 550, and, in 1892, a barn at a cost of $1,000, and is now en- gaged in general farming and stock rais- ing. He has a well-improved place, and is meeting with good success in his under- takings. His possessions have been ac- quired entirely through his own efforts, and he may well be termed a self-made man, for he started out in life for himself empty-handed, and his success is the re- ward of labor and perseverance.

On June 14, 1870, Mr. Beier was united in marriage with Catherine Bean- sack, a native of Fremont, Ohio, and twelve children were born to them, their names and dates of birth being as fol- lows: Clara, May 28, 1871; Mary L., May 9, 1873; Lewis H., June 1, 1875; Frank J., March 12, 1877; Matilda C., February 26, 1879; Charles M., Decem- ber 21, 1881; William A., February 15,

1883; Leo J., March 13, 1885; Rudolph C., July 25, 1887; Rosa K., September 19, 1890; John A., June 8, 1892; Roman P., May 16, 1895. Of these, Clara be- came the wife of George Widman, and they have one son, Joseph, who was born in Sandusky township; Roman P. died May 21, 1895, and the rest are still under the parental roof. In his political views Mr Beier is a Democrat; in religious be- lief he is a Catholic.

A MOS BLANK, a prosperous and representative farmer of Wood- ville township, Sandusky county, was born April 20, 1841, and is a son of William and Anna (Hess) Blank. William Blank was born in north Cumberland county, Penn., in 1790, came west and settled near Rollersville, San- dusky Co., Ohio, in the spring of 1836. He married Anna Hess, and they became the parents of eleven children, namely: George, David, Abraham, Peter, Amos, Mary, Elizabeth, Matilda, Melinda, Will- iam and Emeline, all now living but three. When Mr. Blank came to Ohio he rented a piece of land of J. M. King for two years, then moved to Madison township, Sandusky county, where he bought eighty acres of timber land, commenced clearing, and put up a cabin with a stone chimney. The country was very wild, and bears and wolves were plentiful and troublesome. The nearest mill was at Fremont, and it took several days to make the trip. Mr. Blank helped lay out and make most of the roads in the vicinity, and cleared up over 100 acres of land. He held several township offices, and always voted the Democratic ticket. At the time of his death he left 440 acres of valuable land. He died June 8, 1871, at the age of eighty- one years, five months and thirteen days; his wife died in 1844, and was laid to rest in Sugar Creek cemetery.

On August 30, 1868, Amos Blank was united in marriage with Emma J. Clifford,

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who was born at Wellington, Lorain Co., Ohio, August 20, 1848, and they have had eight children, namely: Florence A., born January 15, 1870, died July 11, 1871; Amos B., born October 24, 1871, unmar- ried and living at home, and has been in the oil business since 1889, having several hundred acres of oil land leased, also owner of 960 acres of land in Henry county, Ohio; Myrtie M., born May 17, 1873, married S. F. Osborne, a telegraph operator, July 1, 1893; John P., born Janu- ary 12, 1875; Iva B., born April 28, 1877, married Charles F. Haggerty, and they have one child-Charles Amos, born Sep- tember 4, 1894; Willie H., born Decem- ber 5, 1880; Bertha L., born March 15, 1882, and Effie J., born March 12, 1886.

After his marriage Amos Blank oper- ated a sawmill in Woodville township from 1866 to 1872, then sold out to Tille Brothers, and bought 120 acres of partly- cleared land. Recently he purchased a farm of 180 acres near Napoleon, Henry Co., Ohio, and removed on said farm, but still owns the 120-acre farm in San- dusky county. He raises bees very ex- tensively, also cattle and horses, and car- ries on general farming. Mr. Blank do- nates liberally to the cause of religion and prohibition of the liquor traffic. In poli- tics he was always a Democrat until 1886, when he joined the Prohibitionists, and has since worked hard for that party. Socially he is a Mason, is very popular, and much esteemed for his many good qualities. His grandparents were Hol- landers, and his grandfather served in the war of 1812.

C HARLES CLINK, a practical and progressive agriculturist of Wood- ville township, Sandusky county, was born December 23, 1843, in the township which is still his home, and is the second son of Caleb Clink. The family is well-known throughout this lo- cality and his brothers-Jacob, Reuben

and A. J .- are prominent farmers and stock dealers. In the district schools he acquired a fair education, while his father's farm afforded him physical training, and he was there employed from an early age until he had reached his twenty-fifth year. He then entered a dry-goods store at Wood- ville, where he spent three years in the ca- pacity of clerk, after which he was for several years a salesman in a similar house in Elmore. He was employed in the same capacity for four years in Pemberville, and during all that period gave general satisfaction, winning for himself the good will of his employers, and the con- fidence of his customers.

On leaving Pemberville, Mr. Clink re- turned to Woodville township, locating on an eighty-acre tract of timber land, on which he built a small frame house and installed his family therein. His next task was to remove the trees and stumps upon the place, and transform it into fields of rich fertility. Some of the timber was sold for manufacturing pur- poses, and tree after tree fell beneath his sturdy strokes until sixty acres had been cleared and highly cultivated, while a fine orchard of five acres yields to him its fruits in season. Good fences divide the place into fields of convenient size, the latest improved machinery is there seen, and the accessories and conveniences of a model farm may there be found. Mr. Clink has worked early and late to accomplish this desired result, and now has the satisfaction of being the owner of one of the finest farms in his section. The small frame house into which he first moved his family has been replaced by a large, substantial and ornamental dwell- ing which was erected at a cost of $1,800. The surrounding grounds pre- sent a picturesque appearance, and the neatness and taste there displayed indicate the progressive spirit of the owner.

Mr. Clink was married February 28, 1869, in Pemberville, Ohio, to Miss Caro- line Pember, daughter of Hiram Pember,

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in whose honor the town of Pemberville was named. He was born in New York, and there learned the trade of black- smithing and iron working. In the Empire State he married Matilda Heath, and in 1832 removed to Ohio with his family, locating in Wood county, where, with others, he founded the town of Pemberville. Eight children were born of that marriage, three of whom are liv- ing: Adeline, the first white child born in that section of Wood county, and now the wife of Charles Stahler, a farmer of Pemberville; Stillwell, a retired farmer of Kansas; and Caroline, wife of our subject. The father died in 1878, the mother on September 2, 1874. Three children bless the union of Mr. and Mrs. Clink, viz. : Maud, born in Pemberville, Wood county, May 12, 1874, educated in Woodville township, Sandusky county, and mar- ried October 16, 1890, to B. I. Ross, a resident of Mansfield, Ohio, employed as a railroad engineer (he has been em- ployed by the Pennsylvania Company twelve years); Claude, born September 5, 1876, in Woodville township, attended the district schools and the Normal of Ada, Ohio, and is now engaged in opera- ting in the oil fields; the third child died in infancy. In 1884 Mr. and Mrs. Clink adopted a nine-weeks-old baby boy by the name of Frank C. Foster, who has since been one of the family.

For six terms, Mr. Clink has been elected and served as supervisor, and has also been school director four years, dis- charging his duties with a fidelity worthy of all commendation. He is a member of the Foresters Association, and of the Masonic Lodge of Pemberville, while the family attend the Peoples Church of Woodville. Mrs. Clink is a member of the Lady Maccabees, Harmon Hive No. 36, and the son Claude, is a member of the Knights of the Maccabees, DeMolay Tent No. 211. In their pleasant home Mr. and Mrs. Clink are enjoying the fruits of their former toil, and throughout

the community are held in the highest regard by a wide circle of friends and acquaintances.

C HARLES B. HUTCHINSON, one of the leading and most progress- ive farmers of Green Creek town- ship, Sandusky county, is a na- tive of same, born in Green Creek town- ship March 21, 1848. In all matters of public interest Mr. Hutchinson is wide- awake, and by his progressive ideas is doing much for the people of his native and neighboring townships.

Nathaniel Hutchinson, great-grand- father of our subject, was a native and resident of Cambridge, whose three sons- John, Thomas and Joseph-in 1818 mi- grated to Clark county, Ohio. John after a short period, removed to Wabash, Ind., where he and his family fell victims to an epidemic of fever. Thomas re- mained in Ohio some twenty years, and then removed to La Grange county, Ind., where he died. Joseph, grandfather of Charles B., was born April 21, 1782, and was married in his native State, in Octo- ber, 1805, to Mary A. Hodgman, who was born in Cambridge, Mass., October 10, 1783. After coming to Ohio they re- sided in Clark county until April, 1827, when they moved to Green Creek town- ship, Sandusky county. Joseph Hutchin- son was a mechanic, and followed his trade through life. After locating on a farm in Green Creek township he went to Monroeville, Ohio, and there worked for about six years, then returning to his farm and remaining until his death, in January, 1855; his wife died in 1851. This couple had eight children, as follows: Mary A., born September 9, 1807, mar- ried Ashel Franklin in Clark county, June 14, 1829, and died in May, 1848; Joseph H., born April 17, 1809, died November 24, 1823; Charlotte, born February 7, 1811, married S. S. Kellogg, of Huron county, February 10, 1831, died in Feb-

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ruary, 1854; Louisa, born September 12, 1814, who inarried Elisha Lake, and, after his death, Charles Petty, died in Woodbury county, Iowa; Josiah B., born November 30, 1817, died May 28, 1836; Alfred, father of Charles B., born September 17, 1820; Phœbe M., born May 29, 1825, married Noble Perin, who died in Andersonville prison during the war (she lives in Green Creek town- ship); Joseph, born May 29, 1830, fatally crushed by a loaded wagon, from which he fell.

Alfred Hutchinson was seven years old when his parents settled in Green Creek township. The schools at that period were very primitive; but he received the best education the locality afforded. At the age of eighteen years he began an ap- prenticeship to the brick-layer's and plas- terer's trade, which he followed for about thirty years. He was married April 6, 1843, to Mary M. Dirlam, born in Massa- chusetts August 18, 1823, daughter of Orrin and Annis (Gibbs) Dirlam, both born in Blandford, Mass., the former on February 22, 1792, the latter on August 18, 1797. Annis Dirlam died in Massa- chusetts November 6, 1830, and three years later Orrin Dirlam migrated with his seven children to Green Creek town- ship, Sandusky Co., Ohio, where he en- tered a large tract of land. These seven children were as follows: Sarah, born September 28, 1818, married Samuel Chapin, and died in Clyde September 10, 1873; Orrin M., born February 7, 1820, died in 1889 in Sullivan, Ashland county; Dolly Almira, born October 27, 1821, married Merlin Babcock, and died March 26, 1848; Mary M .; Franklin, born De- cember 12, 1824, resident of Townsend township, Sandusky county; James M., born February 21, 1826, a resident of Wood county; and Spencer, who died in infancy. For his second wife Orrin Dir- lam married Elvira Smith, who was born in Massachusetts April 18, 1807. By this marriage he had nine children: Henry S.,

born February 9, 1843, who enlisted in the army at Cleveland, and while acting captain of his company was seriously wounded at the battle of Chickamauga, dying from the effects of the wound De- cember 18, 1865; Zadoc, born September 16, 1836, resident of Clyde; Verrazano, born July 25, 1839, served in the army and died August 3, 1882; Theodore, born January 22, 1842, participated in the one- hundred-days' service, now living in Lo- rain county; Sidney, born September 8, 1844, a resident of New London; Minerva, born January 2, 1847, died November 8, 1879; Walter S., born January 28, 1853, a resident of Lorain county; and two chil- dren who died young. Orrin Dirlam was the father of sixteen children, fourteen of whom grew to maturity. He died at Huntington, Lorain county, May 20, 1882.

The children born to Alfred and Mary M. (Dirlam) Hutchinson were as follows: Zemira, born December 2, 1 844, enlisted in Company A, Seventy-second O. V. I., and died in prison at Florence, S. C., October 30, 1864; Charles B., subject of this sketch; Fred, born January 28, 1861, married Mabel Lay, daughter of William E. Lay, and has five sons-Clare, Ernest, Karl, Frank and Ralph; Fred lives on a farm in Green Creek township. Alfred Hutchin- son died on the old homestead in Green Creek township in 1889, and his widow at this writing still resides there. Neither had been identified with any Church or- ganization, but both believed in and fol- lowed practical Christianity. Their lives have been illustrations of their belief that to do good is the highest function of man. Alfred Hutchinson during his lifetime was recognized as one of the leading citizens of his community, and he was elected to many of the township offices.

Charles B. Hutchinson, his son, is likewise one of the most prominent men of the township to-day. He possesses business ability of an advanced order, and his capacity is demonstrated by his visible works. He was thoroughly educated in

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the common branches, and in addition attended the Clyde High School. On November 16, 1864, when only sixteen years old, he enlisted in Company B, Second U. S. A. Regulars, and was in service four months when his parents, on account of his youth, succeeded in getting him back on the farm. When a few days under twenty years of age, March 17. 1868, he married Miss Emma Strick- land, who was born in Clyde in April, 1850. They started young in life, but during the happy and successful career that followed they have never had cause to regret their early marriage. Seven children have been born to them, five of whom survive, as follows: Dr. A. F., who is a graduate of Clyde High School and of the class of 1893 in the Medical Depart- ment of the University of Michigan (he married Miss Mildred Ward, and is now practicing medicine at Banfield, Barry Co., Mich.); Chella, a Clyde High School graduate of 1892, at home; Lotta, Lou and Delmer. Claude died at the age of eight years and Floyd at the age of four years. Since his marriage Mr. Hutchin- son has been engaged in farming. He owns 115 acres of choice land, and in his methods no farmer of the township is more progressive or successful. In poli- tics he is a Republican. He is taking pains to carefully educate his children, and in all things he is public-spirited and enterprising.

H ENRY MILLER was born in To- ledo, Lucas Co., Ohio, Septem- ber 23, 1835, son of Fred and Sophia (Mintkink) Miller, natives of Hanover, Germany, who came to America in 1835, and settled in Toledo, Ohio.

Fred Miller secured a position in a sawmill in Toledo, and worked there about two months; then removed to Wood- ville, Sandusky county, where he bought

twenty-five acres of timberland as an in- vestment. This he sold a short time afterward, and then bought eighty acres, later eighty more, and lived on this land till 1865, when he moved to the village of Woodville, where he passed the re- mainder of his life, dying in 1873; his widow passed away in 1890. Seven chil- dren were born to Fred and Sophia Mil- ler, as follows: Frederick, who lives in the village of Woodville; Henry, the sub- ject of this sketch; Sophia, who married John Horseman; William, who lives in the village of Woodville; Detrick, Mary and Harmon.

At the tender age of three years Henry Miller was taken sick with an affection known as the rickets, and from that time until his sixteenth year he was confined to his bed. After that he improved some- what, and endeavored to secure an edu- cation, of which he felt the need, all the more as the disease had left him unfit for manual labor. In 1859 he went to work for Jacob Nagle, as an apprentice to learn the harness-maker's trade. Afterward he entered into the service of Daniel Coe, in the harness business in Elmore, Harris township, Ottawa county, and remained there four years. In 1864 Mr. Miller bought out his employer. Shortly after- ward his place of business was burned, and he then came back to Woodville, Sandusky county, and entered into the harness business. Here he has conducted business ever since. He is a Republi- can in politics, and in religious connec - tion is a member of the German Methodist Church.

H UFFORD FAMILY. The great ancestor from whom have de- scended the Huffords now living in Sandusky county, Ohio, was Jacob Hufford. He was born in Mary- land in 1772, where he learned the trade of blacksmith. It was in his native State

1. Huford

Aufford

James

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that he met and married Miss Catharine Creager, and shortly after their marriage they came to Kentucky, where for a few years Mr. Hufford worked at his trade. About 1811 they emigrated to Greene county, Ohio, where they lived until 1836, during which time Mr. Hufford continued at his trade, and it was here that his chil- dren-Cornelius, Jacob, Elizabeth, James, Levi, William, Isaac and Catharine- were born and brought up. In 1836 this ancestor came to Sandusky township, Sandusky Co., Ohio, where he purchased, in Section 31, 200 acres of land, which was held in the family until about 1881. After his death, in 1851, the land was owned by his sons, Jacob and William. None of the children of this old pioneer are now living, the last one, James, hav- ing died in the spring of 1895. The de- scendants of the children of Jacob, the pioneer, are now, many of them, living in Sandusky county, and it is of one of them, William T. Hufford, and of his father, James, whose portraits are here given, that we now write.

JAMES HUFFORD, the third son of Jacob Hufford, was born November 23, 1812, in Greene county, Ohio, and came with his parents to Sandusky county, in 1836. Here hestarted in life for himself, his only endowments being good health and a determination to accomplish something in the world. In June, 1837, he was mar- ried to Miss Susan Arnold, of Greene county, and to them were born three children: George W., born in 1838, and died at Memphis, Tenn., during the Re- bellion, a member of the Seventy-second Regiment, O. V. I .; Harriet A., who mar- ried William Slates; and Joseph M., born in 1845, and died in 1868. Mrs. Hufford was called from earth June 23, 1846, and was buried in Muskalonge Cemetery. On December 24, 1847, Mr. Hufford was married to Elizabeth Fisher, of Sandusky county. She was born in Perry county, Ohio, January 9, 1829, and came with her parents to Sandusky county when

eight years of age, where she has since lived. Mrs. Hufford is a daughter of William and Jane (Anderson) Fisher, the former of whom was born and married in Virginia, and to them were born five chil- dren, three of whom are now living: Mrs. Hufford, George Fisher and Mrs. Margaret Hummell; the father died in 1872, the mother in 1831. To Mr. Hufford by his second wife was born one child, William T. Hufford, whose sketch follows.

James Hufford was a highly esteemed citizen, and an affectionate husband and father. He was a very intimate friend of Dr. Wilson, president of the First National Bank, of Fremont, Ohio. By hard work and strict integrity he accumulated a hand- some property, west of Fremont. At his death, which occurred March 31, 1895, he owned 277 acres of as fine land as can be found in Sandusky county. Mr. Hufford had all of his business settled, his will exe- cuted and his son, William, appointed executor of his estate. The property is to remain intact during the life of Mrs. Hufford, then descend to the children --- William T., and his half sister.

WILLIAM T. HUFFORD was born Sep- tember 26, 1851, in Sandusky township. He was educated in the high school at Fremont, Ohio, and was for seven years a teacher in the Sandusky county public schools. On December 25, 1873, Mr. Hufford was married to Miss Sarah J. Rideout, of Sandusky county. Since their marriage they have resided on the old homestead, on which, in 1894, Mr. Huf- ford erected one of the finest dwellings to be found in Sandusky county, either in the city or country, the plan of the house be- ing designed by Mr. Hufford, himself. It is finished inside in oak, which Mr. Huf- ford took from his own timber lot. The style of the house, both inside and out- side, is modern in every way; the sitting- room and parlor are provided with hand- some grates and mantels. The house is heated from cellar to garret by a furnace, thus freeing the rooms from all dust and

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litter attending the use of stoves. On en- tering the sitting-room from the porch one is brought in front of a fine piano, which instrument is played by Mrs. Huf- ford herself, while at either end of the piano stands a base viol, and on top of the piano lies a violin, which instruments are played by the two boys at home. The musical development of those who inhabit the house serves to make the modern ar- chitecture of the building more highly ap- preciated. Mr. Hufford, like his father, is a thorough business man, and highly respected by all who know him. His ability to give facts and dates connected with the lives of his ancestry is remarka- ble, thus showing that any subject that in any way engrosses his attention is thor- oughly mastered.

To William T. Hufford and his wife have come three children: (1) Eugene L., born September 26, 1874, whose edu- cation was completed in Adrian College, Michigan; he was married April 3, 1894, to Estella Smith, of Sandusky county. (2) James F., born April 13, 1877, and (3) Ray V., born May 4, 1884. Mrs. Huf- ford, the estimable wife of our subject, was born December 25, 1853, in San- dusky county, where she received her edu- cation in the country schools. She has paid considerable attention to music, and it is from their mother that the children inherit their musical taste. Mrs. Hufford is the daughter of William and Mary Ann (Huggins) Rideout, the former of whom was born February 10, 1819, a carpenter by trade, though he followed farming as his principal occupation; he died April 6, 1892. His wife was born March 4, 1822. To them were born six children, Mrs. Huf- ford being next to the youngest, and the only daughter in the family; her brother, Lafayette, died at Fort Ethan Allen, Va., July 3, 1864 (he belonged to the One Hundred and Sixty-ninth Regiment, O. V. I.); another brother, Frank, lives in Ottawa, Ill., and two other brothers, Ar- thur and John, live in Tuscola, Illinois.

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Commemorative biographical record of the counties of Sandusky and Ottawa, Ohio, containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens, Part 30

Author: J.H. Beers & Co Publication date: 1896 Publisher: Chicago, J.H. Beers & co. Number of Pages: 1040

Author: J.H. Beers & Co
Publication date: 1896
Publisher: Chicago, J.H. Beers & co.
Number of Pages: 1040